Jaedyn Shaw #8 of the United States celebrates scoring during the first half against Canada during the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinals at Snapdragon Stadium on March 06, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
The CONCACAF Golf Cup semifinals were headlined by a terrific matchup of Olympic bound squads. But neither the United States or defending gold medal winner Canada had a chance to look the part Wednesday night.
San Diego Wave star Jaedyn Shaw scored in the first half to help the United States advance.
A header from Canada's Jordyn Huitema in the 82nd minute forced extra time. Portland Thorns star Sophia Smith provided a go-ahead goal in extra time. Rose Lavelle headed a pass backwards into the box, setting Smith up to beat San Diego Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
The match appeared to be over when Alyssa Naeher was called for a foul on a ball sent into the box in stoppage time. Adriana Leon converted seconds before the whistle to send the match to penalty kicks.
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Naeher stopped three shots to help the United States survive.
Heavy rain that started late afternoon and persisted past 8:00 p.m. caused sloppy conditions and led to a match that didn't totally resemble the beautiful game. Snapdragon Stadium's field was drenched, causing players to slide and the ball to stick.
Shaw took advantage of the unpredictable field conditions on her goal. A Canadian defender's attempt to get the ball back to Sheridan got caught up in the wet grass well short of 2022 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year. Shaw sprinted to it just in time to send a shot past her San Diego teammate.
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The 19-year-old is the first player in U.S. Soccer history to score in each of their first four starts. Shaw has made a strong case to go with the United States to Paris this summer, scoring four times in this tournament and six times in her first nine appearances with the senior club.
Fellow Wave standouts Alex Morgan and Naomi Girma were also in Twila Kilgore's starting 11.
How did Snapdragon Stadium get so drenched so fast? NBC 7 Meteorologist Greg Bledsoe says the weather station closest to the stadium recorded 0.46" of rain between 6-8pm, most coming the hour before the US-Canada match. There was more rain in the vicinity of the stadium than almost anywhere in San Diego County.
While there were attempts to clear water off the field it did little to improve the conditions after the first half.
Mexico and Brazil had no such issues in the early semifinal, with Brazil coasting to a 3-0 victory. They will face the USWNT in Sunday's Gold Cup final.
